variants
also hari-kari
as in suicide
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Recent Examples of hara-kiri
When the soldiers, instead of rising up, jeered at him, Mishima killed himself in the classic samurai fashion: performing hara-kiri, or seppuku (as the Japanese more commonly call it), by plunging a sword into his abdomen before a uniformed disciple sliced his head off.
—
Ian Buruma, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
The film depicts the historical ‘Honno-ji Incident’ from 1582, when a key vassal of Oda Nobunaga rose in revolt and caused his master to commit hara-kiri in Kyoto.
—Mark Schilling, Variety, 17 Apr. 2023
Ian Buruma, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
The film depicts the historical ‘Honno-ji Incident’ from 1582, when a key vassal of Oda Nobunaga rose in revolt and caused his master to commit hara-kiri in Kyoto.
—Mark Schilling, Variety, 17 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hara-kiri
Noun
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Among the editions that helped The Observer earn a top-10 designation were cover stories on the 40th anniversary of the Sweet 16, on the 25th anniversary of the Rae Carruth murder trial, on Johnson C. Smith football, and a feature package on National Girls and Women in Sports Day.—
Observer staff report,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Mar. 2025
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This comes as police killings have also long raised concerns from the public, most notably leading to massive Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests in 2020 following the death of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of his murder.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The man was accused of strangling his 61-year-old victim and hitting the man’s head against the ground near a gas station on Washington Street near Fourth Avenue shortly before 5 p.m., San Diego homicide Lt. Lou Maggi said in a news release.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Mar. 2025
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Officer Anthony Gamble, a department spokesperson, said that victim was in critical condition and that homicide detectives were investigating the scene.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacramento Bee,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
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This week’s must reads Inside the mysterious slaying of a Hollywood pimp with Russian mob tattoos: Allan Roshanski and Ruslan Magomedgadzhiev were gunned down in Lomita in 2020.—
Kevinisha Walker,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2025
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Law enforcement authorities allege he is connected to the slaying of Juan Jesus Guerrero-Chapa, the former personal attorney for a cartel leader.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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But on Wednesday, a grand jury indicted her on the charge of assisting self-murder/manslaughter, a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.—
Frank Fernandez,
USA TODAY,
24 Feb. 2023
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The initial charge of first-degree murder has been reduced to assisting self-murder/manslaughter.—
Frank Fernandez,
USA TODAY,
24 Feb. 2023
Noun
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The pair died within days of each other and there were no apparent signs of foul play, New Mexico Chief Medical Investigator Dr. Heather Jarrell said at a news conference.—
Cara Tabachnick,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2025
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There were no obvious signs of foul play, officials said.—
Hannah Parry,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hara-kiri.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hara-kiri. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.
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